Sins of the Past
by morphine cowboy
Summary: The Republic of Greater East Asia has collapsed, and along with it, The Program. But an American high-school class soon finds themselves trapped in a madman's recreation of The Program; a twisted underground labyrinth where they must fight, or die.
1. Chapter 1

A quite murmuring resounded throughout the dimly lit chamber. Men and women, mostly older, sat in mahogany wood chairs, dressed in gray striped suits and flowing beige dresses. Attendants wandered up and down the rows, dressed smartly in black vests and bow ties, carrying treys of fine chardonnay and cognac. Through the dim lights, the haze of cigar smoke lingered in the high ceilings, an aromatic reminder of the luxurious environment.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I could please have your attention, I would like to resume the bidding on our next item in our Republic of Greater East Asia series. This set of war medals belonged to one of the most revered and decorated generals in the campaign against..."

Jiro Morioka leaned forward in his seat, apprehensive and lost in thought. He was not interested in the silly trinkets of a deluded dead soldier. No, there was something else that brought him to this upscale London auction house. He mentally ran through the auction list in his head once more, as the auctioneer began to rattle off words and numbers like a machine gun rattles off bullets. It was up to bid on next, the security recordings, as well as numerous data files, and other equipment used in one of the installments of the horrendous governmental provision, known as "The Program".

It had been a little under a decade since the collapse of the Republic of Greater East Asia. A U.S. invasion toppled the political hierarchy, and once again a democratic institution was established. Although the U.S and her allies staunchly claimed that the invasion was solely for the purpose of liberation, many saw it as a tool to advance the U.S agenda. Whatever the reason was, the campaign was successful, and the Republic of Greater East Asia was divided into subsidiary states, and relics of its past were sold in auction rooms to fascinated and overly wealthy westerners.

"...Sold! For fifteen thousand pounds to guest number twelve. Congratulations!" The auctioneer firmly grasped either side of the lectern, as two bulky men in suits wheeled the cart with the war medals off the stage. The lights dimmed even further, and a large projection screen descended from above, coming to a rest on the stage a few feet behind the auctioneer. Jiro felt his muscles tighten, and a cold sweat dripped down his back. "We are to begin bidding on a set of items associated with the extremely controversial military exercise known as The Program. Because of the sensitivity of the subject matter, I strongly request all those who are offended by such material to leave the room now. All remaining auction items are associated with the program, so feel free to exit if you are not interested."

Chairs scraped against the tile floor, and once again the dull murmur returned to the room, as people began to leave, talking quietly amongst themselves as they moved towards the exit. Jiro caught quips of some conversations, though it was all the same idle banter. "You've heard about this right? Primary school students were forced to slaughter one another, can you imagine anything so horrible?"

"Absolutely disgusting. I'm glad the Americans finally brought these bastards down. Making children kill each other, it makes me sick just thinking about it!"

Jiro patiently waited, checking his watch anxiously once more. It was extremely expensive. Even in this dark environment, the gold on it seemed to shine brightly. His suit too, was of excellent quality. Pin striped and black, it was tailored to fit his body perfectly. He was getting old, the man was approaching 60, but there was still some muscle definition visible beneath the expensive fabric. His hair line had receded slightly, and his face was much beginning to sag. He wasn't the young man he used to be.

"Okay then, let's begin!" The auctioneer continued, in his refined London accent. His pencil thin mustache quivered as he spoke. "First, we have video footage of the Kobe Program of 1972. This compilation contains almost 200 hours of footage, accompanied by audio feedback, when available. We also have official documents from the event, including profiles on the students, correspondence between the instructor and the central government, and media releases. To assure you the quality of this footage, we will air a brief segment of the final confrontation."

He reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a small remote. He clicked it, and the projection screen became encompassed by a fuzzy video. It took a moment to assess what was on the screen. The colors were faded, the images fuzzy, and the focus laughable. But it became clear the footage was relayed from a camera perched on the street of a small town. The buildings were small and quaint, what one would expect from a fishing village during that time. The door to one of the buildings suddenly opened, and a young Japanese student emerged, cautiously looking both ways as he crossed the threshold of the door.

The boy crouched as he walked, until he was alongside a building closer to the camera, just down the road from the one he exited. Gunshots suddenly erupted from a building across the street, sending the young boy diving for cover behind a pile of crates. He shouted something in Japanese, as he rummaged through his back pack. He pulled out a translucent bottle with a cloth jammed in the opening. The boy lit it on fire and tossed it through the window where the gunshots came from. Flames lept out the window, and licked the roof of the building, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky. Female cries- from what sounded like different voices, resounded from the burning building. The boy slouched against the side of a building, and lowered his head, until the screams had ceased.

Jiro furrowed his brow, and bit into his lip until a warm trickle of blood ran into his mouth, and his whole face seemed wracked with pain. He was staring at himself, and listening to the screams of the classmates he had killed decades ago.

A/N: I'm excited to start writing this, and as always, I appreciate feedback/critiques/whatever. I will hopefully update very soon!


	2. Chapter 2

Roll Call

Jules Green

Alex Yang

Todd Richardson

Nick Moretti

Amir Khatter

Clement Gray

Kyle Dockery

Sharam Safi

Drew Karels

Alex Gutierrez

Austin Wilks

Chris Humiston

Prakhar Saha

Tomoaki Fuji

Victor Rutter

Thomas McKnight

Uday Jain

J.C. Chavez

Grant Stone

Logan Boyd

Kerry Holmes

Suzie Jamison

Hayley Griffin

Priya Ravula

Shalani Nadam

Chelsea Ortiz

Megan Vulo

Kathleen Ting

Sarah Lin

Francesca Rodriguez

Alison Reich

Lydia Holland

Michelle Zhang

Ada Guo

Kelsey White

Ana Rosales

Maya Tunali

Robyn Li

Tina Hyde

Sofi Conrad

Catherine Jones

Melissa Heath

The seniors in Ms. Morales's AP Spanish 4 class were on the trip of a lifetime. Well at least, the most spectacular trip of their high school careers. After a year of fund raising, and a surprising donation, the class embarked on a trip to Spain, and were currently en-route from Barcelona to Madrid. The old bus was the only vehicle on the winding one lane road that swayed through the flat Spanish countryside. It was just after midnight, and although the moon provided visibility for miles, the only scenery was the repetitive flat plains, with the occasional farm or small village breaking the monotony of the surroundings.

The excited chatter had long since left the bus. Many students were worn out and slumbering. Drew Karels (male student #9) and Uday Jain (male student #17), who were sitting in the front row, had been asleep for nearly two hours. They both were using their band letter-men jackets as blankets, and Drew had begun snoring softly. Across from them, Michelle Zhang (female student #13) was curled in her seat, lost in her book.

It wasn't for a few seats back that anyone made any sort of noise. Alex Yang (male student #2) was talking to an unwitting Tina Hyde. He had been telling her stories about his road trip to Santa Fe for the past thirty minutes, but seemed clueless that her attention had drifted elsewhere intermediately after his story had begun. More towards the middle of the bus earnest conversation was taking place.

Clement Gray (male student #6) wasn't quite sure why he was still awake. Physically, he was exhausted. The night before he had gotten incredibly drunk with his friends, and danced at one of Barcelona's premier clubs. After a pitiful three hours of sleep, he was forced out the cheap hotel bed, loaded into the bus he was currently sitting in, and carted into the heart of the country. The bus stopped at a vineyard around 4:00 pm, and the smell of alcohol only increased the intensity of his hangover, which was still lingering well into the night. He readjusted his legs, trying to find some sort of comfort. It was hard, because he was tall, just under 6'3. He was skinny, but with some muscle definition, and broad shoulders. He had wavy brown hair, and an attractive face. He tilted his head, until he faced Victor Rutter (male student #15), who was seated next to him.

"Do you have any intention of sleeping soon?" he asked him with a sigh.

"Absolutely none." Victor responded immediately.

"Todd? Prakhar?" Clement leaned forward a bit, so he could see the faces of the two guys seated across the aisle.

"Hell nah," Todd Richardson replied with a grin. Prakhar Saha just laughed.

Clement swiveled his body around, til he faced Nick and Logan, seated behind him. "And you guys are still awake back there. I personally know both of you have every right to be unconscious right now."

"Yeah, funny how that works," Nick Moretti responded.

"My head still hurts," Haley Spektor (female student #3) complained from the seat in front of him. Clement turned back around to face her. She puckered her lip in a frown, and bashfully batted her eyelashes at him. As far as female friends go, Haley was the best. She never complained about the boy she was pining over, or got wrapped up in drama. She was always satisfied with just smoking and drinking, relaxing and enjoying life. She never got offended when the guys went off on misogynistic tirades (well, so long as she knew they were kidding), and Clement never felt a need to impress her.

"Awww!" he mocked, "you poor thing!"

"I know, poor me!" she replied in an equally sappy voice. She couldn't maintain her mockingly agonized face any longer, and cracked a smile. Clement automaticaly smiled back. She was cute, that was for sure, but she was no where near as beautiful as his ex, who was seated a few rows ahead.

Francesca Rodriguez (female student #10) was tough as nails, and gorgeous to match. She had fair skin, and silky, long brown hair. She was average height, but incredibly curvy, with a great chest, something she had no problem showing off. She was fiercely independent and extremely fit, qualities that left many guys (and girls) intimidated. Clement had dated her the previous semester, and he still remembered how she looked when he took her to homecoming. She wore a long, low cut red dress, with high-heels that complimented her well toned legs. They had split up a few months ago, because they both lead busy lives, and were unable to maintain a relationship. They rarely talked now, but it the whole matter between them seemed unresolved; and with college just a few short months away, any meaningful resolution seemed impossible. Currently she was leaning against the window, fast asleep. Her ipod was in, and the music was left a little loud, audible to those within her vicinity. Megan Vulo (female student #7) fidgeted around anxiously next to her, seemingly annoyed by the loud music. Neither Megan nor Francesca had any close friends in the class, so they tended to team up whenever their was forced interaction, whether it be peer-grading or sitting next to each other on the bus. They never hung out outside of the class, Francesca had her own group of friends in other classes, and Megan mainly kept to herself, unless she was dating someone at the time.

Diagonally from Francesca and Megan sat Lydia Holland (female student #12), who was talking in a hushed voice to Chris Humiston (male student #12). Lydia had dyed her hair reddish-purple, and was wearing a black tank-top hemmed with white lace and pajama pants. She was a little plump, extremely tan, and had a beautiful smile, along with a bit of a reputation at the school. She had been to the hospital for a near over-dose on hydrocodone, and was known to be promiscuous. Chris Humiston, who loved to stir up drama, was undoubtedly swapping secrets with Lydia, who had seen a lot of people do embarrassing things.

Of course that wasn't the only gossiping occurring on the bus. Ada Guo (female student #14), was president of the school's National Honor Society, a former gymnast, and one of the most intelligent students in the school. Since a young age, her mother had her life planned out for her, with the end goal being the highest paying job achievable. She was very social, and her participation in numerous clubs and organizations provided firm connections in various social strata. Although she wasn't the most attractive, she was petite and had an oddly pudgy face, and thin hair, she knew how to interact in almost any situation, and was as apt at maneuvering the ranks of high school politics as she was at taking the SAT.

"No, didn't you hear!" She exclaimed loudly to Shalani Nadam (female student #5) and Priya Ravula (female student #4) who were captivated by the latest controversy.

"No, tell us!" Priya pleaded, holding her hands together.

"Okay, so listen to this," Ada began, pleased she had an audience. "Courtney's acceptance to Colombia was revoked, because she was caught cheating by her summer school teacher, who flunked her! She doesn't have the required credits!"

"That's terrible!" Priya gasped, scandalized. "What is she gonna do?"

"Beats me, but that's what she gets for trying to cheat in summer school health! How lazy can you get?"

Tomoaki Fuji (Male student #14) did his best to suppress a smile upon overhearing this information. A refugee from The Republic, he had toiled his entire life, having immigrated to America following the invasion of his homeland. His parents had been killed in the war, and he still had mixed feelings towards his new country, being too young to notice the flaws of the dictatorship he lived under when the war started. Although he worked very hard at school, he achieved only mediocre grades, and was going to enter community college the following year. Hearing of Courtney's debacle made him feel better, as she was a notorious cheater. He was in her math class, and she would often have copies of the exam before the day of the test.

The bus began to slow down, losing the constant speed it had maintained for the past hour or so. Suddenly the driver slammed on the brakes, and swerved sharply to the left, causing the tires to screech. The bus jerked to a sudden stop, and someone screamed.

"Is everyone okay?" The driver yelled back in broken english. Groans and excited chatter erupted on the bus, and those who were previously asleep were now awake.

"Yo, you tryin' to kill us or somethin'?" Alex Gutierrez (male student #10) called out from the back of the bus. He was always the one to question the teacher's authority or start up trouble. The kid loved to hear himself talk. He always was cracking jokes or making fun of people, along with his buddies Austin Wilks and Thomas McKnight. Although he was one of the worst-preforming students in Mrs. Morales's class, it would be a mistake to describe him as stupid. He worked for his dad as a mechanic, and had a head for math. He knew his way around a car, and was a notorious street-racer.

"Alex!" Mrs. Morales shouted from the second row.

"There's a car in the road!" The driver explained, getting out of his seat, and grabbing a flashlight. He walked out of the bus, and Mrs. Morales followed, after issuing a warning for everyone to stay seated.

Naturally, everyone leaned into the aisle and peered out the front window.

"What's going on?" Nick Moretti asked.

"I guess a car is blocking the way, I really can't see from back here though," Clement responded, annoyed that the journey was being prolonged.

Headlights began to approach from the opposite direction. "That bus is coming really fast, I hope he sees the car!" Kathleen Haefling (female student #8), who was seated next to Hayley, apprehensively noted. The bus screeched to a halt, just next to the disabled car. The windows were completely blacked out. Clement tried his best to see what was going on outside, but it was too dark.

BAM BAM

Two gunshots sounded, and the bus devolved into utter chaos. People ducked, and some even began to try and push their way to the back of the bus. A lot of people were screaming. The windshield shattered, and shards of glass rained onto the floor of the bus. A metallic clank soon followed, and a hiss was barely audible over the sounds of mayhem. A choking white smoke consumed the front of the bus, obscuring the students at the front completely. Clement could hear them choking on the fumes, and pulled his shirt up to cover his mouth, but it was too late. The billowing white smoke spread throughout the bus, and another metallic clink sounded. He felt himself slipping out of consciousness, and closed his eyes. There was nothing he could do.

42 STUDENTS REMAINING

a/n: I'm going to focus this fic on a group of friends, instead of the traditional main character, his one friend, and love interest. I'd appreciate any feedback and criticism, particularly if any of the characters seem unrealistic or overly-cliche. Thanks, and I'll post more soon!


End file.
